The Soul
by Beautyandthebooks
Summary: Taken place after The Host. Wanda and Ian are together but will the new soul that enters their life change their relationship? Burns Living Flowers seems to have an interest in Wanda but does she return it? Host continued. Wanda POV. Ian/Wanda. Jared/Mel.
1. New Friends

Dear Readers,

Since I was always wondering about what would happen at the end of The Host, I decided to write my own fanfic. It starts right from where The Host ends. This is mainly going to be about Wanda and Ian. Story is all from Wanda POV. Of course, Mel and Jared's relationship will be shown but not from their point of view unless I feel inspired. Let me know what you think! Please R&R!

Beautyandthebooks.

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It was still very quiet as Burns and I stood between the groups. He looked at me and I looked at him. Since he was from Fire World I wasn't sure if I'd like him. My position on Fire World wasn't very fond. Though he seemed like he would be different than my expectations. "Where are you from, Wanderer?"

I smiled at his question. I hadn't realized that my name was not as easy to recognize the origin of, no pun intended. "I'm from the Origin," I said with a slight blush of my cheeks when he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You're really from the Origin?" He asked with an incredulous look. I nodded and he smiled shaking his head with what looked like chagrin. "I've never met anyone from the Origin. Is this you're second planet or . . . ?" He trailed off waiting for my response.

"Um, this is my ninth planet." I said my cheeks getting slightly pinker when he looked down right shocked.

"Well, this is the first time I've been bested at that, too." I raised my eyebrows in question, "I've been to five planets." I was about to ask him what planets he'd been to when Ian cleared his throat. I smiled back at him and laughed. Or should I say giggled? I still hadn't been able to rid Pet's body of the habit.

I introduced everyone and Burns did the same. "Would you like to come back with us? We could introduce you to the rest of our group. I'm sure they'd like to meet you. And I know I'd like to ask you some questions," said Jared, with a laugh.

"I think we could agree to that," smiled Nate, "We'll only be able to stay a little while. We don't want our family to worry." Jared said that was fine and we started walking back to the caves. Burns was beside me and Mel, Jared, and Ian were all close by. Some might think they were eavesdropping. I could hardly blame them. Burns was the only soul we'd met - besides Sunny - that understood and knew what I was doing. Gone native, as he'd said before.

"How long have you been here, Wanderer?" he asked. I tried to think. I'd spent about six months in Mel's body with the Souls. Then I spent six or maybe more months in her body at the caves. And I'd spent six months in Pet's body. Of course, I wasn't sure of any of those measurements of time.

"I think it's been about a year and a half to two years," I said, "But I can't be sure." I looked up at Burns, "How long have you been here?"

"I've been here four years," he laughed. I understood. It was the only thing he'd been more experienced on than I was. "I never thought I'd meet another soul like me," he smiled. He looked like he didn't like his choice of words.

"I know what you mean," I assured him. He nodded and smiled.

"What did you mean when you said I had no idea early in the cave?"

"Well, it's not just us. There's another soul in the caves, Sunny. It's a nickname for Sunlight Passing Through Ice. We're not completely alone." I said laughing up at Burns. He was _tall_. And I was _short_. It wasn't the best combo.

We entered the caves and I heard fast footsteps. Jamie came around the corner, "Wanda!" He came and picked me up. People were doing that more and more in the caves. I was so small and light that when people hugged me they'd pick me up and set me down. He stopped suddenly when he saw Burns and the others. His eyes widened.

"Don't worry, Jamie," said Mel. She went up to Jamie and showed him her eyes with a flashlight. He hugged Mel and then Jared. But then he looked confused. I smiled, poor Jamie, he had no idea what was going on.

"We found other humans, Jamie," said Jared. Jared was so happy _he_ picked _Jamie_ up. We all laughed at that. When Jared put Jamie down Jamie ran to the rest of the people filing in and shouting the good news. We took our new friends to the dining hall and Jared introduced everyone. Jeb was going to give them a tour but only after we ate. Nate was talking to Jeb about the caves and each side found their counterpart and started talking.

I found Sunny, who was attached to Kyle, and introduced her to Burns. She seemed a little shy but altogether happy to meet Burns. He sat with me for a while and we started talking.

"How did you get here?" asked Burns. Mel and I looked at each other and remembered the first few days in the caves. I couldn't speak for Mel, but I felt a shiver go down my spine. Pet wasn't used to such harsh memories, even if they hadn't happened in her body. Thankfully Ian was getting food so he didn't have a chance to notice my reaction. It would have upset him.

To my surprise Jared seemed to notice. He caught my eye for a second. It's not like I thought he was insensitive, it was just that Jared and Mel had been in their own little world lately. They had every right to be. They'd almost lost each other. But Jared and I had still been trying to work out our friendship. Mel and Ian were in the same place too but for them it was less confusing. They were both human and their thoughts were the same. I held Jared's stare for a second and then looked away. Sometimes it was better to look to the future. I'd never forget my past but my future was brighter.

I looked back at Burns. He'd asked how I'd gotten here. I didn't know whether he was asking in the physical sense – like how I'd gotten to the caves – or the mental one – how I'd gotten to Earth. I tried to think about how to tell Burns about the way my first life on Earth had started. "Well," I said, "It's complicated," I said quickly and Burns gave me a quick look. He smiled and a look of understanding came over his face.

"Some stories are complex," he said, letting me know he understood by caution. I looked back over at Mel and laughed wryly.

"You have no idea," I said. Ian came back over to our table and brought a bowl of soup for me as well. He placed mine in front of me and quickly sat down. I placed my hand lightly over his knee and squeezed it in thank you. He gave me a light – and somewhat territorial – kiss on my forehead. Burns caught the motion.

He didn't say anything, possibly not understanding or not wanting to bring attention to it, but either way I was grateful. Throughout the dinner, more and more people were mixing together and talking about past situations or funny stories since the invasion. I turned to Burns extremely curious.

"Burns, what planets have you been to? You said there were four?" I asked with a curious edge. I hadn't been able to talk to a soul about the planets without feeling guilty since I came to earth.

"Obviously Fire World," he said with a smile and quickly listed, "Singing World, Bear World, planet of the Flowers, and of course Earth. And you?" he asked with open curiosity. I smiled.

"I've been to the Origin, of course. But I also went to Singing World, planet of the Flowers, Bear World, Summer world, Land of the See Weeds, the Spiders, Mists planet, and Earth."

"That's a hell of a résumé," he said with a laugh. I felt my cheeks turn lightly pink. Sunny who was sitting next to Kyle just next to Ian and I looked over at Burns.

"Since you've been to Bear World, you must have heard the story of Rides the Beast," she said with a bright look in her eye. I looked at her and tried to stop it before it came out but I was too late.

"Sunny, now is really not a good-" she cut me off, that was the most confrontational thing she'd ever done. I felt myself sigh in irritation. Mel, Jared, and Ian were smiling at my need to be in the shadows.

"Wanderer is Rides the Beast," she said, like she got credit for telling him. I felt my cheeks become more obvious in their blush. Burns's eyes lit up in surprise and a couple of the people we'd met looked at me with the same reaction. Surely Burns wouldn't have told them a story – indirectly – about me. My illusion was soon crushed.

"Burns," said Nate who was sitting across from him, "Didn't you tell us a story about a soul called Rides the Beast?"

I put my face in my hands as I felt my face turn red. Ian wrapped a hand around my waist and I curled into him. Most of the people who lived in the caves who had been listening laughed. I'd told them my story only when begged. They usually pulled the guilt card and I broke down. I was so easy to manipulate.

I faced the table when I felt the heat go down minutely in my cheeks but Burns was looking at me with a surprised look on his face. He had a smile on his face. "You know that souls are usually not competitive but you seem to keep excelling at whatever I've done," he said with a wry chuckle.

"How 'bout that tour," asked Jeb, getting up from the table after he'd finished his dinner. Our new friends nodded vehemently and quickly followed Jeb who started explaining how things worked with the kitchen. I smiled at Jeb. So happy to show people what had been created in the caves. It applied to his showmanship type of personality. Burns looked at me as he got up.

"Do you think was could talk as we walked?" he asked and I quickly nodded. I had so many questions for Burns. I didn't want to overload him but at the same time I didn't know what to ask first. Burns went to put his dishes away and I looked at Ian. Even when I was standing up, I still felt short.

"You coming?" I asked as I gathered my dishes. He looked like he was thinking about something else but shook his head.

"Talk to Burns," he said, "I'm sure you have a lot to talk about." He gave me a quick kiss on the lips and I slowed it down. It was so freeing to feel the heat of Ian's touch. It was something I was still getting used to. Just looking at Ian made my heart beat and breathing become faster. He always got a sparkle in his eye when he realized that _he_ could affect me this way.

I broke away quickly, knowing that if I didn't I'd embarrass myself in front of a room full of people. Although I knew Ian wouldn't mind, I still cared. He threw me a quick wink before I caught up with everyone in the hallway. Right before I turned the corner, I saw the smile fall from his face. He looked at Jared and they quickly began talking about something. I was about to head back but Burns asked me as the group began walking down the hall, "I was wondering Wanderer," he said with a nervous expression, "I couldn't help but notice you and Ian and I was wondering . . . ?" he said leaving the comment open ended like a question.

I looked anxiously up at Burns's face to see what his interest was in my being with Ian. He seemed only mildly curious but I could sense an effort to remain nonchalant in his expression. I simply responded, "Yes."

He nodded and didn't broach the subject again. We moved onto easier subjects. I knew that he was maybe interested but I couldn't be sure. Here I was giving myself credit, Burns was probably curious about a soul having a relationship with a human. _Being a little self-center?_ I asked myself.

After the tour Nate who seemed to be their leader said they should be heading back to their families. "Can we meet again," asked Jared. He seemed almost sad to see them go. I could sympathize. Jared had met people outside our own group. It gave him hope.

"Yes," said Nate after looking at the others to see their response to the invitation. "We'd like to show you to our location but that will have to be worked out. We have to get home and after we're settled we'll come back with a couple people. Maybe a couple days time?" he asked for confirmation. Jared quickly confirmed our plans.

I felt arms encircle my waist as I watched our new friends walk out of the cave and into the night. "We're not alone," Ian whispered in my ear, ruffling the tendrils of my hair. I turned to face him, making sure not to disrupt his hands on my waist. I placed a light kiss on his lips and he continued to trail kissing along my jaw and throat.

"I never was alone," I whispered into his ear and knew he felt the same when he pulled me into a tight embrace. _No_, I thought, _with Ian, Mel, Jared, and Jamie I could never be alone._

Let me know what you think whether it be good or bad comments, or just random thoughts about the chapter! Review and make my day!

XOXO,

Beautyandthebooks.


	2. Jealousy and Love

Dear Readers,

Thank you for the reviews. It's nice to hear that people are enjoying the story! Please read and review!!! I always write faster when I know more people are interested in the story.

Beautyandthebooks.

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I watched after our friends for a minute, almost thinking that it wasn't true. That what we had all seen was just our wishful thinking. Our hope. Ian gave me another squeeze. I looked over to see Mel and Jared talking about something quietly and wasn't sure whether I wanted to know or not. I looked up at Ian's face; his blue eyes so like ice were surprisingly warm.

He brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. It was so natural. Over the past six months we had been so harmonious together. Ian looked at me with so much love in his eyes. The emotion was so strong. I'd never felt anything like this in all of my lives. It was almost too much at times. Pet's body wasn't used to my extreme emotions. After all she was a soul. We weren't used to such intense emotions. Before I came to the caves, that is.

I focused on Ian's beautiful face. There was emotion in Ian's eyes. I couldn't comprehend exactly what it meant. I knew it wasn't good but I didn't know what had brought on his sudden unhappiness. Had I done something wrong? Sometimes I said something that lead to a misinterpretation. Was this one of those times? I felt my small hand brush against Ian's cheek. He turned his head, kissing my palm. He leaned down to leave a light kiss on my lips.

He started to pull back but I moved my lips with his, not wanting to lose contact. Ian gave into my silent request. For a moment. He pulled back after a few seconds. The look in his eyes was easily hidden and if I wasn't looking for it, I most likely would never have noticed. He gave me another squeeze and said he was going for a walk.

He walked through the caves at a brisk pace and I saw him disappear behind the corner. I felt like I had a huge question on my forehead. Mel walked over after Ian left with Jared and Jamie in tow. Mel kept looking back over to the corner where Ian had walked off. "Is there something up with Ian, Wanda?"

"I think," I started but then stopped. I honestly had no idea. Mel smiled weakly at me, when the helplessness showed on my face. "I don't know what happened. We were both happy ..." I trailed off.

"I think Ian's jealous," explained Mel. I looked up at her. I was so close to saying, _Again? _Didn't Ian now that I loved him more than anything or anyone? I guess not so much. Wait a second.

"What's he jealous of?" I asked with confusion. I didn't get Ian's jealousy. Yes, I knew I could be jealous. I had seen the way a woman or two had been looking at Ian but that didn't mean I thought Ian would leave me. I loved Ian for his sensitivity but sometimes I wished he was surer of my undying love for him. Sometimes human emotions made no sense at all to me. Or maybe too much sense.

"You should be asking who," added Jared. I looked up at him and felt the pieces click together. I closed my eyes and was close to rolling my eyes. I loved Ian. But sometimes he was too smart for his own good.

"He's jealous of Burns?" I asked. Mel nodded sadly to this. There weren't that many people left on our side but it seemed like there were enough men to make Ian jealous. "But why? Doesn't he know that I love him?"

"Of course he does," said Jared, "It's just hard when you love someone and you see someone thrown in front of your face that could take that person away. Ian's just-"

"Acting stupid?" finished Mel. I looked at her with chastisement. She rolled her eyes. Mel and Ian had been able to be friends after a couple weeks of awkwardness. Their relationship had been different than the relationship with Jared and I. Jared and I had talked to each other while I was in Mel's body. Ian and Mel couldn't. They're pretty good friends now. Of course, they're type of friendship involves trading barbs and making fun of each other. Just like Ian and Kyle fighting, I don't truly understand it. But then again, I am a soul.

"Why would he be jealous of Burns? I just met him." I said, trying to think if I'd done anything to make him jealous. I came up with nothing.

"You didn't do anything, Wanda. It's just that Burns is like the male version of you. He's helping humans fight against the souls. I think Ian's just afraid that soon you'll be thinking about Burns in a different way."

I shook my head. Ian does over think things. A lot. "That's just-"

"Stupid?" suggested Mel again. But this time I couldn't help but throw in a small smile.

"I'm going to go after him," I said with a nod of my head. Mel and Jamie quickly lapsed into conversation. Just as I walked around the corner my eyes connected with Jared's. It was so solid. It was like he understood. Jared and I would have a connection for every. We would both do anything to protect our family. He seemed to be realizing that more and more lately.

I let my thoughts wander as I walked to mine and Ian's room. After the rains we had moved back into our room together. Ian had never even mentioned the possibilities. But then again, that was Ian. He would never pressure me. But sometimes I figured it would be easier.

I wasn't sure I could bring up the topic of sex with Ian. I was flustered even thinking about it. Neither Pet nor I had ever had sex. Of course, I'd seen some of Mel's memories but I didn't pry. And anyways, Mel and Jared were in a different place than Ian and I were. First, they'd known each other longer. Second, they were both sure of their love for each other. Third, they'd had sex.

I came to our room and moved the door. I walked into our room and paused for a minute. Ian was sitting on the left mattress wearing shorts. It's not like I'd never seen him in shorts. He slept in them every night. It was getting too hot to even think about wearing extra clothes. But sometimes I'd catch sight of Ian and just feel myself short circuit. Whether he was getting ready for bed or working in the fields, I'd just feel myself go still.

Ian looked my way and smiled lightly. I could still see the extra something in his eyes. Jealousy. I walked over to my side of the bed and took off my shoes before lying down beside him. We both looked up at the ceiling.

I took a second to try to think of a strategy. I didn't know how to bring up the subject. I didn't want Ian to take it the wrong way. And honestly, that had happened a few times. "Do you like Burns?" asked Ian. Oh, thank God. Sometimes Ian just asked what he wanted to know and I was envious of his boldness. I was always worrying that I'd hurt someone's feelings.

I sat up and so did Ian. I looked him in the eyes – staring at his encapsulating blue eyes so like frost. I moved closer, so our foreheads were touching and shook my head. "Of course I like Burns," I said, "But not like you're thinking. I like him as a friend, or a soul. But never like I'd love you. Ian O'Shea, don't you know how you make me feel by now?"

"Sometimes I get a little jealous. It's just so hard. I love you so much, Wanda, it hurts sometimes. You-" I cut him off with a kiss.

Ian always tried to make the moment perfect with his words but sometimes I just wanted us to be. To hold each other. To kiss. To do ... other things. If only I could tell Ian that.

The kiss was light at first but it soon changed. I opened my mouth to Ian and he took advantage. He explored my mouth as I did his. Our tongues dance back and forth in a flirtatious dance. I felt rather than heard him groan in pleasure.

He moved us so that he was on top of me. I moved my hands over his back. I felt his muscles tighten as I moved my hands up and down his back. He slowly let his weight lay over mine. So I could feel his body against mine. I could feel everything. I heard a whimper and realized it was mine.

I pulled away from our rapidly changing kiss so I could breathe. Ian rolled with it and placed tantalizing kisses along my neck, nipping every once in awhile. I could feel the difference in his kisses, his resolve. And I couldn't help but feel overjoyed and nervous.

He moved his hands from my hair and arms to my stomach, feeling along the bottom of my shirt. He ran his hands under it and I felt a warm sensation spreading over my body. My shirt was slowly being raised and I was kissing Ian back with more fervor. He pulled back from my face and looked at my face for a second.

Whatever he saw urged him to pull my shirt over my head. He leaned over me for a second before kissing my lips lightly and whispering, "I love you, Wanderer."

"I love you, Ian O'Shea." With that, I kissed him hard. He molded our bodies together. Our breathing was coming faster and just as Ian was going to unhook my bra, our door was opened.

Jamie came running in with soccer ball in hand.

Mel rushed after him and pulled him by the arm out of the room. "Sorry," she rushed, "I tried to stop him but he's just so fast." I got a quick glimpse to see that Jared was in the hallway, averting his eyes. She quickly replaced the door and we were alone again.

There was a long silence and I felt Ian just lean into me, putting his head against the side of my neck. He breathed in and out and he started shaking. He was laughing. I would have joined in but I felt my face becoming flushed.

After a minute, Ian rolled over to his side of the bed. He turned on his side and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. "Don't be embarrassed," he said, "We live in a small space with a lot of people, and it was only a matter of time."

I felt my face grow redder as I added, "I just keep thinking if Jamie had come in here a couple minutes later."

I looked over at Ian and saw his eyes grow warm as his face drew nearer. "Did you want it to go for a couple more minutes?"

I moved my eyes to look up at the ceiling and found myself whispering. "Ian I wanted it to go for longer than that."

Then it happened. Ian began kissing me with love so strong. I felt so warm, loved, and happy. It happened just like I thought it would and even more. I knew I would love Ian for the rest of my life. And so we spent the night reminding each other of the fact. Ian was my love. My life. My future.

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I hope you liked it! Please review! It makes my day and hopefully makes me right faster!

Beautyandthebooks.


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